Duquesne picked up a huge addition for its frontcourt when center Martins Abele decided to transfer from Radford.

The school announced Abele's decision Tuesday. He is a 7-1, 290-pound native of Saldus, Latvia, who attended Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and spent one season at Radford, where he started nine games and averaged 5.4 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Ron Everhart picked up a new big man. (AP Photo)

“Martins has the experience to come in and be an immediate contributor,” Dukes coach Ron Everhart said in a statement. “He played at a very high level at Oak Hill Academy and also has a year of Division I basketball under his belt at Radford.

“He is unique to our program in that his width and size gives us the type of player we don’t have. I expect him to make an impact, and I’m excited to have him at Duquesne.”

Abele will be Duequesne's first 7-footer since the mid-1990s, when 7-2 Ricky Lopes played for the Dukes, and only the fifth in program history.